Founded by Prof. Dr. Almiro Pinto Azeredo in 1959, the Department of Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery (ROO) of the  Medical School of Ribeirão Preto (FMRP) at the University of São Paulo is located in the Hospital das Clínicas in Ribeirão Preto and has been home to professionals from interdisciplinary areas for over 60 years, when Dr. Almiro Azevedo was appointed to make the discipline of Ophthalmology official, which was taught on a voluntary basis at the beginning of FMRP’s activities, in the improvised Ophthalmology Department, which managed to expand its facilities in 1961, with equipment and surgical instruments acquired by HC and FMRP with support from the Rockfeller Foundation.

From 1957 onwards, the first Otorhinolaryngology classes were offered, initially as an optional course under the responsibility of the Peroral Endoscopy and Face and Neck Tumor Surgery service, coordinated by Professor Luiz de Góes Mascarenhas and supported by other professors from São Paulo and volunteers. It wasn’t until 1970 that the Otorhinolaryngology Department was formally developed and linked to the Ophthalmology Department, which was renamed the Ophthalmology and Otorhinolaryngology Department, and later moved to new premises in the new HCRP building on the USP campus in 1978, marking an era of development and progress for both specialties. In 1985, with the arrival of Professor José Antônio de Oliveira, Otorhinolaryngology began a strong phase of academic, scientific and care development.

Professor Luiz de Góes Mascarenhas also played an important role in the development of the Head and Neck Surgery discipline, which began in 1957 and constantly evolved as a result of the knowledge and perceptions of the interface between this specialty and the areas of Otorhinolaryngology and Ophthalmology. In 2000 the discipline was transferred to the Department of Ophthalmology and Otorhinolaryngology, becoming the current Department of Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery – ROO, also including the Speech and Hearing Therapy course in 2003.

The Department currently offers services at all levels of care, forming part of the Sistema Unificado de Saúde (SUS) and working in locations coordinated by the HCFMRP/FMRPUSP/FAEPA Healthcare Complex, such as:

• Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (HCFMRP);
• HCFMRP Emergency Unit;
• Hospital Estadual de Américo Brasiliense – HEAB;
• Hospital Estadual de Ribeirão Preto – HERP;
• Centro de Saúde Escola da FMR.

In addition to providing health care and services, the department also has Medical Residency Programs and Stricto Sensu Postgraduate Programs (Master’s and Doctorate), as well as being present in socio-educational programs in the health area, showing the importance of excelling in different areas and contributing to the production of scientific knowledge for application in health.

To find out more about the history of the Department of Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, visit the book celebrating the ROO’s 60th anniversary, organized by professors Wilma Terezinha Anselmo Lima and Maria de Lourdes Veronese Rodrigues, by clicking here.